The Times: The best architecture of 2019

#4 The Standard, King’s Cross, London, UK by Orms

In brief: Coming out of its shell

Taking an unloved 1970s Brutalist council office and transforming it into the hippest hotel in England shows the sort of magic touch that was thought to have expired with Paul Daniels. The somewhat OTT interiors may have come straight from a disco-era pleasure palace, but with the old precast concrete polished to within an inch of its life and a stunning new steel and glass roof, the former Camden Town Hall annex can hold its own even against the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, by Sir George Gilbert Scott, on the other side of Euston Road. And with cement production now accounting for 8 per cent of worldwide carbon emissions on its own, opting for renovation over demolition is clearly the virtuous way forward and needs to be applauded.

8 February 2020 | Jonathan Morrison | The Times